Second Time's a Charm?
by Byanka Y. Schmidt
Summary: Kendall Knight and Amber Summers…best friends forever right? Well, at least until they were 10 and never see each other again. As if by fate, however, they meet again years later. Their friendship is rekindled and they may possibly have a relationship brewing. But will a secret and a new love interest destroy it all?
1. Chapter 1

Blurb:

How many people in their life get a second chance with their first love? Unless you're living in a movie, it's not often. Don't believe me, eh? Here's the proof.

Think of "The Notebook." Boy meets girl. Girl isn't interested in him. Boy does something to change her mind. And thus, a relationship blossoms. They fall in love and are crazy for each other. Of course, something happens that decides to ruin their relationship. Yada, yada, yada. A few years later, the chick decides to visit her first love and somewhere along the way, a complication arouses. Blah, blah, blah. Long story, short: the girl is forced to choose between the guy and the other who can make her wildest dreams come true. And because that is all happily-ever-after crap, she chooses the love of her life and everything decides to work out.

But this isn't a movie; this is real life. The chances of that happening are slim to none. You and your first love just don't come face to face out of nowhere. It doesn't happen. It just doesn't. But if it does, there's absolutely no way in hell you can rekindle that love you used to share. -Kendall Knight... 


	2. Chapter 2

_I'm almost there; Layla says she can feel it and I believe her. She just keeps saying that I have to get over my shyness. And believe me, I do want to, because she hasn't given up on me, and she has no intention of it happening any time soon, but there are times when I just wanna give up and go back home. I was able to bail out of my last few auditions, so I chilled at the pool with Camille for awhile. She's so nuts but I love her to death-_

"Amber Lynn Summers, how are you still here? I booked, like, seven auditions for you today!"

I glanced up from my journal to smile sheepishly at my manager, Layla, who mangaged to find me in my apartment. "Sorry Lay. I was gonna, but I got a headache on my way to the third audition."

She grinned a bit, catching me in my lie. "You gotta stop being so shy and actually show everyone what you got."

"Honestly Layla, sometimes I don't know how you and Ryan convinced me to move here," I whined, referring to the glorious Palm Woods.

"If you remember correctly, Ryan was the one who sent in your audition tape," she pointed out.

I stuck my tongue out at her, which she returned with a smirk. "Aww, c'mon Layla, why can't I just quit already?" I pouted.

"Because you have talent, Little Girl. And talent like yours should not go unnoticed."

I sighed heavily, but I managed to smirk back. "Lay, are you in this to watch me grow, or for the money?"

She pretended to think about it, so I threw a pillow at her. She threw it back at me. "Kidding! You know I love you like my own daughter, and I'm just watching out for you."

I sighed again and motioned for her to sit on the couch. "Layla, do you actually think I have a shot to make it to the big time?"

She patted my knee. "I have no doubt about that, but you have to get over your shyness first. The girl in the tape acting out the scene from 'One Tree Hill' raditated with self-confidence. And then when she sang 'Girl to my Heart' near the end blew me away." She pulled me in for a hug.

"That was just for kicks," I admitted before hugging me back.

"But you sure made an impression for top producers Gustavo Rocque and Hawk to battle for you, just like your friend, Faith."

"Oh please," I muttered, "Hawk only wants me because Gustavo does. And please, don't make me go with either of them for a record deal. I barely want to do these movie auditions. 'Sides, singing is Faith's thing."

"Fine," she groaned childishly, "I'll cancel your appointments. But I'm gonna have to reschedule your other roles for tomorrow."

"Can't I have the day off tomorrow? I've gone to so many auditions this past week, and I just wanna relax by the pool or by the park."

"We'll see. If I go to the office tomorrow and I see you have at least two callbacks, you get your wish. But if you don't…?" she trailed off, letting me choose my punishment.

"Um, I go to the remaining four auditions plus another few you manage to book?" I offered.

"Deal, but since you're already here, might as well relax. I'll see you tomorrow." She stood up and kissed my hair. "Go back to whatever it is you were doing. I'll let myself out."

After Layla left, I picked up the semi-messy apartment. I lived in the Palm Woods Hotel, home of the future famous.

I was thrust into the limelight about six months ago when my brother Ryan videotaped me acting and singing to soap operas, day time TV shows, hit TV shows, music videos; you name it, he caught it on tape. One day, he decided to send a video to a random talent scout, who decided to show it to Layla, and the rest is history.

I live in Apartment 4J with my friend Faith. She's the cutest thing ever! She's so tiny, about five feet. She's really sweet, just until you hit her bad side.

Out apartment isn't huge, or flashy, or anything that seemed to draw attention to it. The décor was snow cabin themed. I originally wanted a beach like theme but Faith wanted something you see in the movies and the Winter Wonderland fit perfectly. It was homely though, and I like it like this. Anyways...

I sat on the floor, pulled out my old-fashioned photo album from the coffee table and began flipping through it. The memories swirled in my head as I glanced through them. The time I kicked the soccer ball and accicently hit the coach; the time I won third place at the spelling bee; the year Ryan and I dressed up as Thing 1 and Thing 2 for Halloween; my first ever tea party.

I flipped through it until I saw the familiar pictures of Camp Wonky Donkey {hee-haw} when I was younger. Those were the best years of my life. Building birdhouses, canoeing through the lake, sack races, bon fires, arts and crafts, and everything you could ever think of. I made the greatest friends and memories there.

I stopped suddenly when I saw a picture of me hugging a boy. Even as a 10-year-old, I knew he was gonna be a catch. He had dirty blond hair that flopped around, piercing green eyes that held kindness, and the cutest smile in the world…Kendall Knight.

He was my best friend at Wonky Donkey {hee-haw} and I'll admit that I had feelings for him. Gah! He was just so adorable back then! My mind drifted away slowly...

* * *

[Flashback]:

"C'mon Amber!" He practicallly howled, tugging at my hand impatiently,"I wanna go canoeing now!"  
I groaned. "But I don't want to! Why can't we go later?"

"Because it won't be as fun. Please? I wanna go!"

"No-oo. I don't wanna go!"

"Why not?" He moaned. "I thought we were friends."

"We are!" I protested, "but I don't wanna go!"

He stuck his tongue out at me. "Jerk," he mumbled.

Swiftly, I tackled him to the floor where we wrestled for a bit. "Jerk," he smirked when he had me pinned to the floor. "I win."

"Whatever," I giggled, before pushing him off me and wrestling again until I ended up pinning him to the floor. I leaned down until we were nose to nose. "Call me a jerk again Knight," I smirked at him.

He stared at me, humor burning deeply in his eyes, accenting his beautiful green color. "J…er…k-uh," he breathed, "Whatcha gon' do 'bout that Summers?"

I grinned evilly. "I'll show you what I'm gonna do." I raised my fingers and wiggled them.

His eyes widened in horror at the realization. "N-No, Amber please don't. I'll do anything!"

"Well, you shoulda thought of that before you called me a 'jerk'." I wiggled them again in an attempt to scare him. It worked.

"AM-" His cry was cut short by my fingers violating his body. Instead of protests, his musical laughter filled the air. He laughed until tears filled his eyes. I tickled him until he pushed me off him and ran for the lake.

"KENDALL!" I called out to him, giggling in the process. "Come back!" I stood up and chased after him.

"No!" He cried, "you're gonna tickle me again!"

"Am not!" I lied before speeding up. I was able to keep him in sight until he hid behind some trees, I guess. I searched and searched for him throughout the little area. Just as I was about to freak out about losing him-

"Haa!" he yelled behind me, tackling me and plunging us into the water.

"Kendall!" I complained, "you jerk!"

His response was goofy grin.

Playfully, I dunked his head in the water.

[End flashback]

* * *

I chuckled at the memory. We didn't go conoeing as he wanted, but we went swimming.

"What's funny?" Faith asked coming in. "I wanna know."

Grinning, I shook my head at her. "Nothing, I just remembered something."

She zipped to the floor and sat beside me. "Ooh, I wanna know," she said, poking at my side.

"How was the rehearsal?" I asked, averting the statement.

She shrugged. "Like whatever. All Gustavo does is yell and yell. Thank God he's leaving the state to find an experiment, so I can finally relax." Her eyes flickered to the boy in the picture. "Oh! Who's that cute little boy?"

"He's an old friend of mine," I replied dreamily before focusing again. "Wait, where's he going?"

"Out of state to look for 'new talent'."

"Faith!" I gasped, "Aren't you afraid that you're gonna get fired or something?'

"No," she giggled, "it's just an experiment."

"B-B-B-But what if you do get replaced?"

"Nah! I have a contract with them. And it's just an experiment. Ooh, but I hope he comes back with a hot guy." She winked.

"Or, a friendly girl that we can get along with. But the hot guy works too! I hope we won't have to fight over him though."

"We won't," she assured me with a giggle, "we won't."


	3. Chapter 3

As predicted, Gustavo left early the next morning to NYC, but Faith wasn't off the hook. She was still expected to show up to practice new dances and learn new songs, which she grudgingly accepted. But when it came to keeping the studio clean, she had a little hissy fit, but came around, so she was stuck at Rocque Records until 3 pm.

As for me, I was able to sleep in on a beautiful Saturday morning because I had four callbacks -due to my previous auditions earlier in the week- and Layla gladly granted me my day off.

"You've worked hard kiddo," she'd said last night on the phone, "You're definitely getting less shy, but you still have a long way to go. Enjoy your day off and call me if you need anything. And by the way, you have three new auditions to go to."

It was now 12 o'clock and Camille and I were lounging by the pool. She was tanning on one the chairs, while I was reading.

"We definitely need more action around here," she commented randomly.

"Tell me about it," I sighed, "It's the same routine everyday. Wake up, get schooled, go to auditions, then sleep. And somewhere in there, you have to find time to keep from starving to death."

She giggled. "We officially need boyfriends too."

"Ugh, I know right? The single life sucks big time. Don't you know any cute guys or something?"

"No. Don't you?"

"Nope. But I'm practically married to Faith. Does that count?"

She chuckled. "We'll see. By the way, where is the little darling? I haven't seen her lately."

"She's stuck at Rocque Records 'till three. You up for pizza later? Have a girl's night out?"

"Yeah! Who knows? Maybe we'll meet our dream boys." She winked again.

"Maybe," I murmured, settling back into my book.

* * *

[Flashback]

"You and Hortense need to stop being so smart!" Kendall complained after I finished putting the Band-Aid on his knee.

The loser had fallen and skinned his knee while doing the sack race thing. He looked a bit freaked out, but luckily his friend Hortense -who honestly looked more like a Logan- and I were able to take care of it.

"Why?" I teased, "we could end up saving your life one day."

"Maybe Hortense can, but not you."

His statement amused me. "And why not me?"

"It's weird," he pointed out, "girls should not be as smart as boys, or even smarter."

My jaw dropped. "How is that weird?" I asked in disbelief.

"Because it just is," was his stubborn response.

"How?" I pressed.

"I don't know! It just is!" His lips stuck out, shaping a pout.

"You are such a drama queen," I said flicking a pebble in his direction.

"And you're my annoying best friend," he smirked throwing the pebble back at me.

I poked my tongue. "You love me though."

"I do," he grinned, "but seriously, how can you be smart like Hortense? It's not normal. You can't be pretty and smart too!" He covered his mouth quickly as soon as the words rushed out.

I literally felt my eyes bulge out of my sockets, and the blood rush to my face. "You...you think I'm pretty?" I asked after I regained my composure. My heart thumped erratically as I waited for his answer.

He grinned sheepishly. It wasn't big, but it was enough for his dimples to show through. "Yeah, kinda," he admitted, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

Sensing his nervousness, I hurried to reassure him. "Hey, it's okay. You're my best friend. You're allowed to think that. But they're not allowed to like each other." Okay, that was a lie, but shh.

"Really why?" His smile dissolved into a smirk.

"Because it'd be weird when we hang out," I pointed it out like a know-it-all, "I mean, can you imagine us holding hands and kissing?"

His nose wrinkled at that. "Yeah, you're right. That'd be gross." That hurt a bit, but then again, I asked for it.

"You'll still be pretty to me, though." He walked over to a rosebush nearby, picked a white rose, walked back to me, and kneeled down.

I giggled.

"What?" he frowned in confusion, "I'm just giving my best friend a rose."

"Nothing, but you do realize that if we were in Kerplankistan you'd be proposing to me, right?" I smirked a bit.

He groaned. "And there you go being all smarty-pants again. Way to kill the moment."

I poked at his dimple. "You never know when you're gonna need that information. I love the rose though! It's beautiful."

[End flashback]

* * *

"Yoo-hoo, Amber?" Camille's voice sounded distant, like if she was across the street and not in front of me. "Amber?"

A hard stomp on my foot made me regain my focus. "Ow! What was that for?" I glared at Faith.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "You seemed spaced out. Now are you eat, 'cause I don't mind eating this by myself if you don't wanna."

I grinned. "You're always interested in food. Why is that?"

"Because food is my best friend," she replied innocently. "Now, can you please pass me the chicken?"

Struggling to keep herself from laughing, Camille handed her the buffalo wings. "So, how…was…work?"

"Horrible," she moaned pitifully, "I had to learn this complicated dance, and I found out that I have to write a song too. And on top of that, Gustavo expects me to keep his precious studio standing! Why should he even worry? There's nothing within a ten mile radius that'll threaten Rocque Records from toppling over!"

Camille and I exchanged a knowing glance. "So, are you thinking what we've been thinking?" I inquired.

She shrugged again. "I don't know. It depends. If you're thinking about how delicious this food is, then yes."

At that, Camille lost her composure and burst out laughing. "No, not that!" She said wiping a tear from her eye.

"Then what?" She asked, her eyes narrowing in confusion. "I don't get it. What's funny?"

"Nothing," I reassured her, "it's just that Camille and I were talking earlier, and we agreed that something needs to happen before we go nuts! What do you think?"

"That I'm gonna die of boredom! Nothing ever happens here!" She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Where are the cute boys moving to the Palm Woods? Where are the cute guys lounging by the pool? Where are the cute guys in general?" She took a dramatic bite of her chicken.

"Camille's crazy antics scare them away," I joked, picking at my pizza.

She flicked a pepperoni piece at me. "Just so they know I'm not comepletely normal when they first meet me. If they're still around after that, then they're probably worth it."

We shrugged, agreeing with her. We all had our own ways of seeing if a guy was worth it; Camille acted like a crazy psycho method actress; Faith did the classic play-hard-to-get, since she was a flirty one herself; as for me, I'm not really sure. I get too shy to try anything, so I guess I wait for them to make the first moves. That, and because I'm married to my acting job, -even though Layla doesn't know that.

We ate in silence for a few minutes before I broke the silence. "What kind of guy would you like and what kind of relationship would you like to have with him?" I asked curiously. Faith and I turned our gazes to Camille.

"Hmm, well the guy has to be smart, realistic, knows I'm crazy, but he wouldn't want me any other way, and being cute and hot is just a bonus. And I'd like an unintentional on again/off again." We giggled at her description.

"How 'bout you Faith?" she asked the petite girl who was contentedly eating her chicken. "Hmm, well, he has to be kinda flirty, a good self-esteem, not exactly the smartest person, trendy but not a follower, loyal, and being pretty as just a bonus." She took another piece of chicken, "As for the relationship, he has to make sure he messed up plenty of times before realizing I was the girl for him."

I chuckled. "Polar opposites."

"What about you Amber?" Faith asked.

"What about me?" I picked at my pizza some more. I haven't even taken a bite, honestly.

"Your dream guy and dream relationship, duh! Isn't that what we're talking about? Spill!"

"I don't know. Good guy I guess, up for a good time, good head on his shoulders, chill, family-oriented, maybe blond, I don't know," I repeated, "As for the romance, I don't know. Maybe best friends, maybe love at first sight, maybe love/hate, I don't know honestly."

"Girl, you have some high standards. That kinda guy does not exist," Camille joked, "At least not in real life."

"Exactly," I winked, "I don't need some guy coming into my life and thinking he can make my knees go weak."

"Which is why she's never had a boyfriend," Faith explained.

"Really? How is that?" Camille asked. I flushed.

"Faith, don't talk with your mouth full," I reprimanded her, "It's not nessessary." I got a text from Layla. It was a reminder about the three auditions tomorrow, along with the four I blew off yesterday.

"There's your answer. When she's not busy looking after me, she's working."

"Heaven pray you find the perfect guy, Amber. Now eat before your food gets colder," Camille chided me.


	4. Chapter 4

Before I knew it, a month had passed by and well, nothing happened! The closest thing to action that happened was when I blew off another audition to help Faith clean the already spotless Rocque Records.

But I didn't even receive a punishment! Layla said it was good that I did community service and that it'd be good for future publicity! Erg!

Anyways, it was a beautiful Tuesday morning in Holloywood -but when isn't it?-, and I -surprisingly- had no auditions today. Yay! So, I decided today would be a good day to bake! Yum!

I made cookies, cupcakes, brownies, and all kinds of delicacies in abundances. I was in such a good mood that I went through the entire hotel giving away the little pasteries, even the Palm Woods manager, Mr. Bitters. He gave me a smug smile, but otherwise gave no other emotion, and still had some leftover.

Afterwards, I split the cupcakes, some for Faith and me, and some for Gustavo and Kelly. And I still had some left over.

Then I picked out a book, and settled on the couch to read. But, like always my mind was elsewhere.

* * *

[Flashback]

I looked around at my best friend's best guy friends who were at the table surrounding us. Kendall and I were on one side, and Carlos sat in front of me, with James in middle, and Hortense on the other end.

We'd finished eating lunch and we were having cookies for dessert. They looked and smelled appetizing, until I tasted them.

"These cookies are hard!" I huffed, crossing my arms, "I'm not eating them!"

"I'll take them!" Carlos volunteered reaching for them, "they're still good!"

"No! I want them!" Kendall retorted.

"And why do you get to have them?" James inquired, taking his lucky comb out to fix his already perfect hair.

"Because I'm her best friend, duh!"

"But I'm the smart one," Hortense butted in.

"What does being smart have to do with having a cookie?" Carlos thumped him in the back of his head.

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know, Helmet Boy," he said thumping him back. They had a mild skirmish. They rolled onto the floor, banging our table multiple times. And, like usual, Kendall tried to pull them apart, but they dragged him him in.

"Guys! My hair!" James whined when they accidently helped him mess up his hair.

"Oh, boo-hoo!" Hortense mocked him.

And thus, James entered the fight. It was amusing until they rammed in the table, spilling their colas on me. Awesome.

"Well, nobody's getting them, because you're acting like four-year-olds!" I stomped to the trash cans and dumped them mercilessly, while they watched in disbelief.

[End flashback]

* * *

The ringing of the telephone startled me out of my reverie. I stumbled around aimlessly until I picked it up. "Hello?" I answered.

"Hey, it's me!" Faith's voice exclaimed on the other line, "Gustavo's finally back!"

"I fail to see why you're so excited," I chuckled, "Other than because you can finally have a day off."

"No, no! That's not why I'm calling!"

"Do you need me to come get you? I made some desserts, and I still have plenty to spare. I know Gustavo will like it as a welcome back gesture."

"No! That's not why I called."

"Then what is it?"

Before Faith could answer, Camille burst opened the door and peered her head in. "New guys!" She chirped before slamming it shut again.

"Weird," I muttered.

"What?"

"Apparently we got some new guys here," I chuckled.

"Oh, nice."

"I know. So what was it you were gonna say before we were interrupted?"

"Oh!" She squealed, "Guess what?"

"I'm getting really sick of your guessing games," I teased.

"Okay, fine. I heard him talking to Griffin, y'know the CEO of RCMCBT Global Net Sanyoid products? Anyways, I heard him say that he brought back FOUR, not one, not two, but FOUR guys with him. It seems as though they wanna bring back the boyband, which, in my opinion, are dead"

"Are they cute?" I screeched.

"Don't know. I haven't seen 'em yet. But you should come by and we can decide!"

"Alright, I'm on my way, but don't do anything stupid if they're there before me."

I imagined her pouting. "What makes you think I'll do something stupid?"

"You're Faith. And those are guys. You're bound to try something. Promise me you won't," I warned her.

"Fine Mom, I won't."

"Good, I'll see you soon."

* * *

I killed the engine a few seconds after arriving. Layla'd have a fit if she found out I was driving without an adult in the car. Luckily, I was getting my lisense next week, and she wouldn't freak out much longer.

Taking out a stick of gum, I took the remnants of the sweet bread and headed inside…

"...And another thing Wolf, you are not to associate with these dogs while they're here! Or at least, while they're working. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir."

"Good, now you can go…Why are you here?" Gustavo greeted me, acknowledging my presence.

"M-Me?" I managed to squeak out.

"No!" he responded sarcastically, "I'm talking to the dogs behind you. Of course I mean you!"

I flinched internally. "W-Well, Faith called me earlier, saying that you came back, and I made you some cupcakes and stuff as a welcome back and a congratulations on finding someone, er someones." I shyly walked over to him and handed him the tray.

"It's 'cause I'm amazing. Thank you, I guess." He hesitantly took a bite out of a chocolate muffin. "Mmm, not bad."

"I'll wait for you in the car, I guess."

"See ya in a few," she dismissed me.

"Where is Kelly?" I asked politely.

"Getting the dogs ready for something we have to for Friday."

"Ahh, will you tell her I said 'hi'?"

"Okay. 'Bye."

"'Bye," I pivoted walked out the door. I was passing by the main area when my cell phone rang. I groaned a bit. It was Layla.

"H-Hello?"

"Where are you?" She screeched. "I went to the hotel and you weren't there! Then I went to the parking lot, and I saw that your car wasn't there! You're not even supposed to be driving! Are you even aware of the risks and consequences you just created? Explain right this second young lady!"

I sighed. That was when Layla stopped acting like the fun aunt in a family, and became the overprotective mother. But it was my fault and I had to take responsibilites for my actions."Sorry Lay. Faith called me over to Rocque Records because Gustavo came back. I made him some cupcakes and everything. But there weren't any taxis avail- Oof!"

In the hysteria that Layla was causing, I rammed straight into someone causing us to tumble over a little couch. "Oh! Sorry, my fault."

"No, no. My fault. You were clearly busy. I'm sorry."

I glanced over at the victim, or at his face at least, and almost gasped. He was a blond boy, with captivating green orbs, and a gap between his teeth. There was something almost familiar about him; I just didn't know what, but he was cute! "Sorry," I apologized again.

"It's fine, really it is. But you might wanna finish your phone call." He handed me my phone since it slid out of my hand when we collided.

"Um…thanks," I aaid, flushing deeper. I put the device to my ear. "Hello?"

"Amber, is everything alright? One minute, you're talking to me and the next, I'm hearing laments."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just crashed into someone and now we're on the floor. But can I call you back later?"

"Fine. Oh, and by the way, I booked an audition for you tomorrow."

I groaned. "Thanks Layla. What time?"

"As soon as you're done with school. I'll call you back with the deets. But you're still not off the hook young lady."

I groaned again. "I know Layla. I'll see you in a few." I clickled, and groaned a third time.

"I don't mean to pry but is everything alright?" he asked sounding concerned.

I nodded. "Everything's fine. Just some things I need to sort out. Nothing major or serious."

He nodded as his lips twitched into a smirk, but dammit! It looked so familiar! The way his lips were curved, and those dimples! "Also, I don't mean to come off as rude, but are we planning on getting up soon?" He gestured to me as I realized I was on his chest.

My cheeks went aflame even more. "I, um, er, sorry," I apologized rapidly standing up. I offered my hand to help him up, which he gladly took.

"It's okay," he insisted, "Accidents happen." He dusted himself off, probably a reflex.

Now that we were both standing up, I able to get a good view of him. Okay, I'm checking him out, but not even you could blame me. He was almost six feet tall, slim, but muscular build, and wearing a camouflage suit thing. Very cute.

He extended his hand out this time. "I'm Kendall."

I almost choked on my gum when I heard his name. It couldn't be him. It couldn't be my Kendall, the Kendall from Wonky Donkey {hee-haw} I had a crush a on; the one I considered my best friend. Could it? No, impossible.

Keeping my composure, I shook his hand in a friendly manner. "Nice to meet you Kendall. I'm Amber."

He squinted a bit. "Your last name wouldn't happen to be Summers, would it?" I think my heart stopped beating for a moment.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound creepy or anything, but it's just that you look awfully familiar."

"It is," I gulped, "but out of curiosity, would your last name happen to be Knight?"

"It is," he answered skeptically, confirming my suspicions. Oh, God.


	5. Chapter 5

Somehow, he managed to put to the pieces together around the same time I did. "So, Amber Summers, I never thought I'd be seeing you again." He grinned pulling me into an unexpected hug.

Hesitantly, almost cautiously, I wrapped my arms around him. It was crazy. How was he here? How could he even…his dream was to be a famous hockey player if I remembered correctly.

"So, Miss Summers, what brings you here?" he asked once he released me.

I shrugged. "I'm picking up my friend."

He shook his head, amused. "No, like why are you here, in Hollywood, not that it's a bad thing!" He pushed his hands forward defensively, afraid that I'd take it the wrong way.

But I didn't. I smiled, amused. Okay, it was more like a smirk. "Nothing. I'm an actress now."

"Shut up."

"Really," I insisted, "My brother sent a tape to someone, who showed it to my manager, and, poof!" I cleared my throat. "And, um, what brings you here?"

Revulsion pooled his eyes, much to my dismay. "Oh, um I'm in a band now."

"A band? Really? That's…not what I expected…"

He chuckled. "Yeah, nobody expected it. It was more like James' dream."

"And, speaking of James, how've the guys been?"

Before he could answer, Faith came storming out. "Of all the things he could freakin' say…" she muttered to herself. She stopped short when she saw me, well, not outside. "I thought you were gonna wait in the car."

"Funny story. I was on my way, but I…bumped into an old friend." I gestured to Kendall. "Um, Faith, this is Kendall. Kendall, this is Faith."

"Oh, so you're the Tiny Terror Gustavo was muttering about the whole way over," Kendall chuckled again.

She managed to smirk through her irritation. "Yep, that's me. I'm also known as 'Wolf'. So are you one of the four 'dogs' Gustavo was complaining about?"

"That would be tr-"

"WWWWOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLFFFF!" Gustavo's voice bellowed.

"Let's go! I'm dead!" She tugged on my hand impatiently.

"I'll see ya 'round then!" I heard Kendall shout before we darted out the door.

She didn't relax until we were in my car and I was driving off. "Okay, two things. One, is it necessary to be rude like that when I'm talking to someone? It could've been important. And two, what did you do to tick Gustavo off?" I sighed before continuing. "Honestly Faith, are you trying to get yourself fired or something?"

"Sorry, Mom. But y'know what? Gustavo should learn to take a chill pill and not flip out because I took a nibble out of his cupcakes. That, and because he says I am not to get into a relationship with any of them or interact with them while we're both at the studio."

"That is still no excuse-"

"Okay, sorry Mom," she pouted.

* * *

[20 minutes later]

I cracked my gum nervously as I heard her ranting.

"Personally, I don't know how to feel right now," Layla scolded me, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Disappointed, livid," I offered quietly.

"I guess you could say I'm disappointed, but livid, I wouldn't go that far," she mangaged a tiny smile,showing that she wasn't as angry as she let up on the phone, "Honestly Am, I'm not even furious, not even seething with rage. But I am upset."

I hung my head. "I know," I mumbled, "and I'm sorry. Really Layla, I am. But I didn't have a choice. What's my punishment?"

"You…You're not gonna put up a fight?"

"No. I'm gonna take full responsibility for my actions. I didn't even have permission to take the car out…" I trailed off.

She cleared her throat, unsure of what to do…. "Well, for starters, you're grounded for two weeks. No shopping or going out of any sort. Also, I'll be disconnecting your phone and Internet too…Oh what the heck! I guess I'll let you off the hook this time."

Astounded, I threw my arms around her. "Thank you Layla. And I am really sorry! It won't happen again! I promise! I love you so much!"

"Yeah yeah. I love you too Kiddo. Oh! I almost forgot!"

"Lemme guess, I got like four auditions tomorrow to go to."

"Well, close. You got the part for the 'The Kissing Game'. You need to go get your script tomorrow, but I'll you get a ride once you're done with school. Okay?"

I squealed. "Yes!" I smiled up at her. "Thank you so much Layla. For everything."

"Thank yourself for that. I'm just helping you get to where you'd like to be. Oh, and thank you for the desserts. I'm sure my kids will enjoy it." She planted a kiss on my hair. "I'll see you tomorrow. One more thing, the car incident better not happen again. Understand?"

"'Yes ma'am. Bye Layla." As soon as she let herself out, I pulled out my journal, seeing as though Faith would still be be gone and walked to the coffee table. I sat on the floor and opened it to a fresh page.

*I don't even know where to begin today! Today, was, wow! It was a normal morning. Layla gave me the day off, so I made all kinds of stuff. Then I went to Rocque Records to pick Faith up. I kinda took the car when I wasn't supposed to, and of course, Layla found out and flipped, but I didn't get into much trouble; just a warning.

Now when I arrived there, the craziest thing happened…Are you ready…? I BUMPED INTO KENDALL! YES, AS IN KENDALL KNIGHT MY FORMER BEST FRIEND! And he changed so much! I remember when we were the same height, and now, he towers over me! He still had the same kindness in his eyes, like I remember. But stupid me, forgot to ask where he lived and stuff. So, I'll be lucky if I run into him any time soon.*

Someone knocked on my door some 15 minutes later. I dawdled on my way over. I expected it to be Faith since she was coming back as soon as Layla left.

And I was right. She burst in through the door. Her eyes were wide with anticipation. "Camille's already met the new guys and the family. Now it's our turn." She darted to the kitchen and came back with a tray of the cupcakes. She grabbed my wrist before I could protest and whisked me out of the apartment.

"Where are we going?" I questioned her.

She stopped in front of apartment 2J. I furrowed my eyebrows in bewilderment. "Why are we in front of this abandoned room? No one's lived here since forever."

"Shut up with your questions. You sound paranoid. Now, knock on the door, and offer the family these cupcakes."

"W-" I started to say before Faith sent me a glare, causing me to close my mouth. I took a deep breath, snd timidly knocked on the door.

It totally surprised me when I saw yet another familiar person for the second time today. She was around her mid-thirties, no more than forty. Then it hit me.

"Mrs. Knight!" I squealed.

She looked taken aback. "How- How do you know me? And, do I know you?" she managed to stumble out.

Of course. Typical. The Knights usually had trouble remembering people, unless they were important. Of course she wouldn't remember me! After I moved to Sacramento, I obviously lost contact with everybody.

"Wait," she murmured mostly to herself, "where have I seen those eyes? Deep chocolate brown eyes, full of innocence. Then the hair-" She snapped her fingers. "You're my hair stylist's daughter!"

"Not exactly," I smiled sheepishly, "I'm Amber S-Summers."

She inspected me conspicuously, before breaking out into a smile similar to Kendall's. "Well, hello again Sweetheart. Come in, come in."

* * *

**Bonjour lovelies! ^-^ I hope you're enjoying this little story! I promise you it will get better as we progress through it, so please bear w/me. Next little chappie will be in Kendall's POV, & I promise to upload when I can, since I'm working from 8-4 & babysitting from 4-ish on. (Not that you care about what I'm doing, lol.) x) Merci for reading! Have a Palm Woods day! XX -Byanka**


	6. Chapter 6

Part 5: (Kendall's POV):

What just happened? This morning we were a 'singing group', and now, we're getting fired! I mean, I know we caused our new dance instructor to quit, and an earthquake to happen, but doesn't that always happen? Apparently not…

"Don't even bother showing up tomorrow if you're gonna act like a bunch of children! Making it to the big time does not require acting like four-year-olds. This company does not need dogs who can't sing or dance," Gustavo glared at Logan, "nor do they need someone who wears a stupid helmet all the time," Carlos, "someone they can't stand in general," James, "and especially those who have no respect for other people's authority!" Me. "As a matter of fact, get out! You're fired! Every last one of you!"

I didn't know whether to cheer, or blow up on him for talking like that about my best friends. "Does that mean we can go home now?" I piped up.

"Yes!" he growled, "by all means, go…"

* * *

We must've been a sight walking into the Palm Woods covered in feathers. It's not like we cared, though. But we were the new guys so yeah.

I felt relieved that we were going back to Minnesota; I want to continue playing hockey.

I looked over at the guys. Carlos looked like someone just slapped him for no reason. Logan was just pondering over, I'm guessing, Gustavo's words. And then, there was James. He looked devastated; like if we told him someone broke his lucky comb.

I sighed almost dramatically once we were in the elevator. {Elevate a little higher! :D} They were taking us being fired too seriously. "Who's showering first?" I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

They glanced at Logan first, who was finally done thinking. "Fine," he said, "I'll go in first."

"But if any of you touch my 'Cuda body wash, you're dead," James warned. An anxious laugh erupted between us.

* * *

We, well I, was aware of muffled giggling in our apartment. One was undoubtedly my mom. The other was strangely familiar, whereas the third didn't ring a bell.

We barged in and sitting around on the ugly wooden table was Mom, Amber, and her friend, Faith. They didn't even notice us; they just continued giggling like the girls they were.

"Ah, Amber you haven't changed a bit," Mom smiled warmly at my former best friend.

She grinned sheepishly in return. "I know. But I can't help it. I'm-"

"Just plain bbborrriiinnggg," Faith sang in her little bubble gum voice, "You know you're worse than my mom."

Amber poked her tongue out at the little rocker girl. "I was gonna say responsible." She cleared her throat. "So, how've you been Mrs. Knight?" she asked politely.

"You make me sound old Sweetheart," Mom joked.

"Sorry," she lamented, "Would you prefer Mama Knight like old times?"

"It's not 'like old times' if the boys still call me that." She shot her a beaming smile.

"Sorry. How have you been Mama Knight?"

"She's been doing just fine," I butted in walking up to them, "She's taking care of the best kids in the world and now she has three additional sons to look after…hi Mom." I planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Hi Sweeth…why are you covered in feathers?"

"It's a long story," I smirked, "Ladies what brings you here?"

"We came to welcome you to uh, the neighborhood, I guess you could call it. But I don't wanna do that if…" she looked me up and down, "you're dressed like a giant chicken…BOYS?" Her eyes shot out in disbelief as she caught sight of the three other guys.

"I-I'm sorry. Who are you?" Carlos cocked his head.

"Guys, 'member Amber? Our childhood friend…?"

Little by little, they recognized her. Soon, they ambushed her with hugs, and a bold kiss on the cheek from James. Typical.

Shouts of "How are you?" "Oh my God! You look different!" "Your hair is still the same boring color!" "Do tyou remember us too? Or is it just Kendall you remembered?" "Who's your friend? What's her name?" all filled the room.

She smiled tenitively. "I've been good…No duh! I've grown. I wasn't gonna look 10 forever, yunno…I like my hair the way it is, thank you very much…Of course I remember you! Who wouldn't…Kendall's not the only one. This is my friend Faith. I've known her since I moved."

She took a deep breath. "Faith, these are my old friends…and don't tell me who you are. I wanna see how good my memory is." They stepped towards the Latino boy first. "Helmet, cute little mole on your face, still the tiny one by what I can see…" She beamed. "Faith, this is Carlos Garcia. Am I right?"

Carlos nodded. He extended his hand out. "Nice to meet you Faith. And good to see you again Amber." Faith shook his hand eagerly.

"You too," she smiled.

They moved on. "Okay, let's see, same worried look in your eyes, show me a smile…same dimples…Faith, this is Horetense Mitchell."

He fistbumped the petite girl. "Actually I go by Logan now. Logan Mitchell. Nice to meet you…and Amber I don't have the…okay, maybe I do…but you…oh whatever!" He awkwardly walked over to her and gave her an even more awkward side hug.

She giggled. "You have not changed one bit Hortense, er Logan. Didn't I tell you he wouldn't be Hortense much longer, Kendall? I told you he looked like a Logan! But no! No one ever believes me! Anyways…"

They galloped to James, who was trying to get the fluff outta his hair by combing it. "Which leaves us with…Faith, this is James Diamond."

"Yeah, hey hi," he said, "Now if you'll excuse me, I must go take a shower." He disappeared to the bathroom.

"W-W-Wait, I thought I was gonna go in first."

I shrugged. "Doesn't matter, I guess. As long as we're all clean-ish."

* * *

"And that's the Palm Woods gym right over there," Amber pointed to a fancy lookin' building that looked nothing like a gym. It looked more like an Olympics workout thing. I guess the Palm Woods is really the best place.

"Okay, that looks nothing like an ordinary gym. It's way too fancy-schmancy. On the bright side, James'd get a kick outta here and work out a bit."

She giggled, and flushed a bit. "So, what brings you to the famous Palm Woods?" she asked quietly, almost shyly.

After James finished his two hour shower, -yes we counted- the rest of us rushed in and chilled by the pool. That is, until we got into a heated arguement and Katie pushed us into the pool.

I didn't really wanna talk to them, so I headed towards the park. Then, low and behold, Amber showed up, and now here we are, together like old time's sake.

"We're living here I guess. But we gotta get packin'."

"Why?" she gaped. "You just got here."

"Yeah, and we got fired."

"What did you do?"

"Apparently, we're not supposed to cause earthquakes 'cause we irritated our producer," I chuckled.

"You were the ones who caused that earthquake?"

"You gotta admit, it's really funny…"

"How do you you didn't kill anyone?" She screeched.

I chuckled. "Still the same worry-wart Amber, I see. And how has life been treating you since you moved?"

She ignored my comment and simply shrugged. "Not bad honestly. My dad moved outta the house three months after the move, and my mom's life literally skyrocketed straight after. Promotion after promotion after promotion. Ryan soon got into filming a few years back, Faith and I are even closer despite all this so yeah. You?"

"As you can see, I never got new friends. Hockey is still my life. I still love my family despite our ups and downs. And I still want my hockey scholarship." I grinned.

"Yep, you're still the same Kendall, just taller."

"And better looking," I joked.

"Mm, I'll give you that. You look better now than you did six years ago."

I poked her side. "I'm offended by that Missy. You looked better then than you do now." I stuck my tongue out at her.

She nudged me. "Psh, you're just jealous because I look way better than you…Oh! That's the Palm Woods park!"

"That does not look like a park. It looks more like a permenant amusement park."

"Don't be so dramatic," she snapped suddenly, rolling her eyes.

"I'm not dramatic!" I protested rolling my eyes back at her.

She punched my arm. "Don't roll your eyes at me. It's rude."

"You started it!" I argued, glowering at her.

Before anything else happens, let me quickly explain my relationship with Amber. One minute, we're good, the next, we're tempted to rip each other's throats out. We're usually fighting, but it's good; we get over it in the end.

"That doesn't matter! It's disrespectful!" She smirked slightly.

"Says the girl who started it." I winked. Yes, we have a bipolar relationship, but it's interesting. Y'never know what'll happen.

We settled under a tree, sitting on the grass. Immediately, I began tugging on the clumps of grass. We silently watched people jog, bike and run around for a few minutes."Am, why did we lose touch? I asked softly.

"I don't know," she admitted just as quietly, "but I think we would've kept in touch if we never got into that arguement."

"Probably," I murmered, but she was absolutely right.

* * *

[Flashback]

"Pass it to Carlos!" I instructed James. He nodded before sliding the puck down to Carlos. "Now Hortense, get ready to block the shot." He nodded too, a fierce look in his eyes.

It was about three weeks after returning from Wonky Donkey. I was helping the boys practice for the hockey finals and we were practicing harder than usual. We weren't playing on the rink like we usually were; we were in my front lawn, where we could still practice juat as effectively.

It was fun! It was even better that they listened to me. "Great block Hor." {Yes, it sounds funny, but I don't wanna type his whole name out. :P} "But next time, don't stray too far from the net. James, your turn to be goalie. Carlos, pass it to Hortense. Hortense, you try to make it in. James, you block."

It went on for a few minutes until I saw a familiar figure walking up fron across the street. "Okay guys, take a break. We have company."

They glanced at her and ran inside, ready for my mom's famous sugar cookies and lemonade. I stayed, ready to tell her the good news.

"Amber, Amber, Amber! Guess what?" I yelled pulling her into a hug when she was close. She hesitated for a moment before slowly wrapping her arms around me.

"What?" she whispered in my ear.

"We're going to the finals! Can you believe it? We're playing in two days!" I squealed, hugging her even tighter. I was just so excited!

"That's…that's great," her voice was still almost inaudible.

I pulled away, finally noticing her eyes were glistening with her unshed tears. "Am, are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah," she practically mouthed.

I arched an eyebrow. "I don't believe you."

"Jesus Kendall! I said I'm fine!" she hollered.

"AMBER LYNN SUMMERS, YOU KNOW THAT'S A DAMN LIE!"

"IT IS NOT A LIE! I SAID I'M FINE!"

"DON'T LIE TO ME! ARE YOU GONNA TELL ME OR AM I GONNA HAVE TO WONDER WHY YOU INTERRUPTED THIS IMPORTANT PRACTICE?" I glowered at her.

"'Well, I'm sorry that I came to say goodbye!" She tried to stay composed, but a lone tear slid down her cheek.

Never have I seen her cry before today. I've seen her tear up before, but she never cried. It astounded me; even shocked.

"W-What do you mean saying goodbye?"

"Oh, now you care?" she replied sarcastically. Another tear...

"I've always cared…" I trailed off when I saw her glaring. "But what do you mean goodbye!" I tried to hug her but she pushed me away.

She laughed bitterly as two more tears accompanied the first two. "I'm moving."

"M-Moving?" I pronounced it like it was some sort of foreign word. I tried to hug her again, and this time she didn't resist. She fell limp in my arms.

"Yeah…" she said softly, her façade slipping, "I'm moving…to California."

"But you're just visiting, right?"

The bitterness left her. In its place stood sadness and hurt. "No, like moving, moving and never coming back." She sniffled into my jersey.

Angrily, I pushed her away. She looked so helpless, but I didn't care. "No! You can't do that! You can't leave me! You can't leave me like that Amber!"

"I have to. As much I don't want to, I have to Kendall," she whimpered.

"No you don't! You can ask my mom if you can live with her."

"I've tried that…you know she said no. Kendall, this move is final. I'm sorry."

"No, you're not! If you were sorry, then you wouldn't be doing this! But if you move to California, you'll never be my best friend again!"

"Kendall, I have to go. I'm sorry. Tell the boys I said 'bye and that I love them." She tried giving me a hug, but I pushed her away. She turned on her heels and began walking away.

"If you leave, I'll never speak to you again Amber Summers."

She turned around, and I saw the tears falling faster than Niagra Falls. She gave a half-hearted wave, and walked away.

And I lost my first love and best friend that day...

* * *

**Why hullo there! :) Enjoy this little chapter? I hope so!** **I worked extra hard to make it extra long for you guys. It took late nights, sleeping children and breaks at work to finish it! Hope you're not mad for not being able to upload sooner! I'll try to upload the next chappie ASAP! I promise the action will begin after about two more chapters! Bear w/me! Thanks for reading lovelies! XX -Byanka :)**


	7. Chapter 7

Part 6 :(Amber POV)

*_Two weeks later_*

I set up a nice, girly, romantic picnic for lunch in the park because I knew it'd irk Kendall. He didn't like anything like this, but he wouldn't complain, especially when we were trying to get our friendship back in tact.

It seemed to work at times, like when the girls and I threw them a welcome/congratulations party. Welcome to the Palm Woods, that is and congrats for staying in Hollywood with the guys as…Big Time Rush! But, just like used to when we were kids, we fought 95% of the time.

I was half right. He made a slight face when I saw him eying the contents in distate.

"What?" I asked innocently. "It's just lunch."

"Too girly," he grunted.

"Then I guess we can't have smoothies," I smirked.

He perked up a bit. "Smoothies?"

I nodded evilly. "Yeah, first we were gonna enjoy the lunch I spent forever making. Then, I was gonna take you to the best smoothie place…near the hotel. But I guess I can always give Faith a ring and have her join me."

"You will do no such thing," he growled.

"Chill," I warned, "we don't need two pissed off people. So," I handed him a chocolate covered strawberry, "eat like a good boy and stop complaining." I winked.

* * *

"Here, you can have the pink smoothie," I said, eying the disgusting thing disdainfully.

"Why can't I have the blue one?" He complained.

"Faith takes the pink one with no complaints."

"Do I look like Faith?" He poked at my side playfully.

I wrinkled my nose. "I hate when you do that."

"Which is why I do it." He winked. "Please?"

No."

"Pleeeeeaaaaaasssssse."

Noooooooooo."

"Fine, but can I at least taste it?"

"Okay," I sighed, reluctantly handing him my blueberry smoothie.

He took a moderate sip and spit it out. 'That's disgusting!"

"No, it's blueberry. And it's delicious!" I took a long gulp of it. "The pink one ia disgusting."

"What flavor is it?"

"Strawberry."

"Strawberry is good! What are you talking about. But does it taste good?"

"I didn't like it. Try it for yourself."

He took a skeptic sip before moaning in delight. "OH GAWWWWWD! It's so good!"

"Disgusting," I made a face.

"So, how does this add to the girly, romantic, thing?"

"These are his-and-her smoothies," I chirped smugly.

"You're funny," he retorted sarcastically.

"You know you love me."

"Never stopped." He winked.

"Kendall," I sighed fiddling with the hem of his blanket, "we were kids. It's not like-" Like what? After we finished our smoothies, we strolled back to the park until we found our usual spot.

Kendall, being Kendall, decided to rediscuss our departure from six years ago.

"I know." He lied on his back. "But I hated saying those words to you."

"Then why'd you say them?" I asked softly. He motioned for me to join him, so I did.

"I was angry and hurt," he confessed, "I felt like you were doing this on purpose because you didn't like me anymore."

I snorted. "Nothing hurt me more than you saying you didn't wanna be my best friend anymore because I moved to California."

"And now I'm here too. So, I now officially take it back and make you my best friend again."

"I will accept, if-"

"If what?" He narrowed his gorgeous gems I call eyes suspiciously.

"If every Saturday, we go and get his-and-her smoothies, but you're paying."

"Why do I always have to pay? I'm broke compared to you!"

"Because you're the guy here. And the gentleman always has to pay."

"Pfft, you're lucky I wanna make you my best friend again." He pinched my cheeks playfully.

I hate the fact that I still love you." I crossed my eyes.

"Extremely attractive," he guffawed sarcastically. He stuck his hand out. "Best friends?"

I shook it. "Definitely. I missed you Knight."

"Missed you too Summers," he said with a smirk.

* * *

_*A month and a half later*_

Oh, Lord. Ever since these boys moved to the Palm Woods, life literally became hectic. In just the first two weeks, they were able to redecorate their crib, as they call it, enroll into tjr School of Rocque and get expelled three days later. I'll admit, it was impressive.

Not only that, they were passionate about their singing, and they sounded amazing! The guys, Camille, Faith and I were able to get along, which meant we frequently hung out.

Kendall kept his word and got us the his-and-her smoothies every Saturday. At precisely noon -when I didn't have rehearsals for 'The Kissing Game', he showed up kneeling at my door with a white rose, and my blue smoothie. I, in turn, bought some pink and blue matching best friend bracelets, which he complained about, but reluctantly gave in.

We hung out as much as we could. There were days when he took me to Rocque Records, and treated me to indoor picnics. And there days when I took him to my things, and treated him.

Faith unsurprisingly was cool with me hangin' with Kendall, since she was busy chasing after James. James was enjoying a bit too, but he didn't know what Faith was capable of. Anyways I'm ranting again…

"How long does it take you to get ready?" Kendall complained from the living room.

"As long as it does," I shot back from my room, "Sorry, it takes us a good amount of time to look presentable to the public. Just meet us at the restaurant."

"Now what kind of quadruple date would that be?" James teased.

"The unusual kind," Faith chimed in.

I heard someone rummaging through the fridge. "I'm starving," he muttered.

"Hang on Carlos. We're just about done!" I reassured him.

"At this rate, we won't get on the road until a quarter to eight, and the drive is half an hour long-"

"Chill Logan. They know what they're doing," Katie calmed him down over there.

We were quadruple dating tonight. It was Logan and Camille, James and Faith, Kendall and myself, and Carlos and Katie. Well, it wasn't technically a date for Carlos since Katie was 10 and Kendall's younger sister. And it was more of a celebration celebrating my first interview. I'll go into those deets later.

Finally, after 15 minutes of their complaints, we stepped out. Camille came out in a simple pink cocktail gown and black pumps. Her hair, which was naturally curly, cascaded down her shoulders. Logan grabbed her hand and twirled her around.

Speaking of Logan, he wore his usual goofy sweater vest, along with tan pants and normal sneakers. He looked cute in a dorky nerdy way.

Faith came out in a black rocker type dress that was more anti-formal, but she worked it, actually looking elegant. Her hair was curled perfectfully, and she wore spicy hot red heels. James did a double take when he saw her.

James himself wore his lucky white v-neck, with a varsity jacket, dark skinny jeans, and white Converse. Hot!

Then there was me, who was wearing an off the shoulder purple top, with black skinny jeans and matching purple Vans. My hair was pulled back into a half-up, half-down, ponytailish thing. More casual, bit still presentable.

I peeked at Katie, who was wearing her usual gear, jeans, T-shirt, and some slip-ons, but her hair was curled slightly, courtesy of Faith.

Carlos was wearing his helmet, a half done bowtie over a suit, and some of those fancy schmansy shoes. Total cutie still.

Then there was Kendall, and holy crap, he looked dangerously sexy! Leather jacket over a plain black skin tight shirt, black skinny jeans, and combat boots. He wore some eyeliner making his green eyes pop. Did I mention he looked ridiculously hot? He did not look comfortable though.

"Bad boy thing?" I teased, trying my absolute hardest not to drool at the sight of my best friend, who I redeveloped a very slight, almost miniscule, crush on.

He was dubbed 'bad boy' by Gustavo a few weeks back. He protested about it until Wayne-Wayne, aka, Wally Dooley put the band in jeporady by becoming the new bad boy and kicking Kendall out. Talk about the scariest thing ever. And well, now Kendall's lucky. The only time he's supposed to be a bad boy is when he's going out. I've never seen how he dressed before tonight. And damn!

"Yes," he grimaced before wrapping his arms around me in a hug. "I look and feel ridiculous."

"Well, if it helps, I think you look ridiculous too," I whispered, snickering.

He pulled away, a frown apparent on his face."Don't be rude."

"It's not rude if I'm being honest," I giggled tapping his nose.

"Jerk," he grinned.

"You're lucky I'm mature enough to not tackle you."

"Can we go already? I'm !" Carlos moaned.

"Yeah, yeah! Let's roll."

We ran out the door, smushed ourselves into the elevator and nearly fell out into the Palm Woods lobby. After a sarcastic, "Have a Palm Woods evening," from Mr. Bitters, we walked out, waiting for our limo and enjoying the slight summer breeze. And then the cutest thing in the world happened.

A little 8-year-old raven hair colored girl timidly and hesitantly approached me. "Are-Are you A-Amber S-S-Summers?" she managed to stutter out.

I nodded. "Yes, I am. What can I do for you Sweetheart?"

"C-Can I have your autograph?" she asked bashfully.

I swear my whole face lit up like a Christmas tree. It was my first ever autograph ever. I kneeled down so I'd be able to talk to her better. "Of course! What do you want me to sign?"

She eagerly pointed to her left shoulder blade on her T-shirt. "Right here please."

"Do you have a marker or something I can use?"

She shook her head.

I smiled kindly at her. "That's quite alright." I turned back to the rest. "Would any of you happen to have a marker?" I smiled apologetically.

"Ooh! I do!" Faith giggled, digging through her clutch, until she found a black Sharpie. She handed it to Kendall, who walked over and handed it to me.

"I'm not even gonna ask," I joked to Faith, "What's your name Sweetheart?" My gosh, the girl looked like she was in heaven or something.

"D-Daphnie," she stuttered out.

I grinned at her. "Well Daphnie, you have a pretty name."

"Thank you," she giggled.

"And Daphnie, would you like to know a secret?"

She bobbed her head excitedly. "Yes!" she squeaked.

"You're the first person I give an autograph to."

Her blue eyes were shining so brightly, I think I needed sunglasses. "Really?"

"Yep...there you go Sweetie."

"Thank you so much!" Spontaneously, she gave me a tight hug. "I love you!"

"Yo Amber! Limo's here! You coming or what?" Kendall shouted.

I shot him a glare. Couldn't he see I was talking to a fan? Who knew when -or if- this would happen again.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Daphnie asked shyly but slyly.

I smirked. "Close, he's my best friend. Do you see this?" I pointed to my blue bracelet and continued when she nodded. "Well, he has a matching one, but it's in pink."

"Why is his pink?"

"Because I like to make him mad. Well, I have to get going now Daphnie. It was nice talking to you." I gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek. "Hope we can bump into each other again."

"Okay, 'bye!" She scurried off.

I trudged to the limo.

"Took you long enough," Kendall joked.

"Shut up," I glowered at him, sliding in.

"Wow, someone's happy." He slid in next to me, shutting the door.

I shoved him lightly. The driver sped off into the highway.

* * *

**Why hello there, dear darling readers! :) Didn't expect a quick upload -yes, this is considered quick, don't judge! x)- didja? Me neither. XD Yeah, boring chapter, I know. I skipped ahead a month or so 'cause I want the drama to start already! *Makes evil face* If you can guess who the love interest is in the next chapter, or maybe the next, Idk yet, you get a free cookie! Have a Palm Woods day! XX -Byanka**


	8. Chapter 8

"Hi, welcome to 'The Cabana.' Do you have reservations?" The hostess at the podium asked politely.

"Yes, um, I believe it's under Summers."

"Amber Summers, table for eight?"

I nodded courteously. "That would be it."

"Right this way." She led us to our table. "Your waiter will be with you shortly. Enjoy your evening." She smiled before walking away.

"How was the interview?" James asked, grabbing one of the breadsticks that were placed on at the table beforehand.

"It was fine. They mostly asked about the movie, and how having a major role versus having several smaller roles."

"What is the movie about anyways?" Faith questioned curiously, "you never told us about it."

"Hello, my name is Tyler, and I'll be your waiter tonight. May I start you off with something to drink?" a tall, cute, sandy blond asked interrupting our conversation, not that I minded in any way. I stole another glance at him. He was obviously one of those beach bums. Charming. He caught my eye and winked. I flushed.

"Coke," Logan, Carlos, and Faith chimed in at the same time. I stared at flexing muscles while he wrote down their orders.

"Sprite," James offered for himself and Katie. I was drooling, figuritively of course.

"Iced tea please," Camille requested.

"What can I get for you?" He asked me winking again. I stifled a giggle.

"She'll have a lemonade, as well as me " Kendall acknowledged him through gritted teeth.

"Lemonade? That okay with you sugar?"

I nodded rapidly. "Perfect," I sqeaked.

"Fantastic then. I'll be back with your drinks momentarily." He walked, okay more like strutted away. Damn, look at that body.

"He's cute," I hissed excitedly to the bobbed their heads, agreeing with me. "He looks like one of those guys-" A sudden hard kick to the femur caused me to yelp in pain and lose my train of thought.

I glared at the culprit across from me, who was throwing murderous daggers at me. "What?" He barked.

"Don't 'what' me!" I snapped back, "What the hell was that?"

"What was what?" He sneered, amused at my anger.

"Don't play stupid. You know what I mean." I wasn't quite ready to pounce, but he was pushing my buttons.

He rolled his eyes. "I had to. It does not take a genius to figure out you were eye-raping him." He actually looked like a bad boy staring me down the way he was.

"What's your point?" I shrugged. It's funny how when we fed off each other's anger, our roles were seemed to reverse. And it always happened. Always.

"You can't just go and do…that!" He whispered, tugging on his hair.

"Kendall, you're not my father," I started.

"Knock it off," Logan whined childishly, "if we wanted to hear your latest arguement, we woulda stayed home."

Kendall and I glowered at each other as the drinks came. But I also didn't look at the waiter again. I didn't need a reason to get kicked out or banned. Trust me, I know from experience. He knew it too.

"Now may I take your orders?" Tyler asked after handing us our drinks.

"CORNDOG!" Carlos bellowed instantaneously.

"I'll have a cheesburger," Katie replied calmly.

"Ooh, make that two," Logan squealed.

"Three," James chimed in.

"I'll have the steak," Faith smiled.

"Spaghetti," Camille said politely.

"Lasagna," Kendall and I blurted out simultaneously. We glanced at each other and laughed. And just like that, our fight was over.

"Anything else?" Tyler asked glancing at me, a flirty expression hinting behind that friendly façade.

"Nope," I stated popping the 'p', "That'll be all." I shot Kendall a smirk, which he gladly returned.

"Appetizers?"

"CORNDOGS!" Carlos shrieked.

I shook my head. "I think we're good."

"Well, lemme know if you change your mind." He walked off with a dissatisfied look.

"Anyways, what were you saying Faith?" I asked as if nothing happened.

"Oh, um I was asking what the movie was about."

"It's awesome!" Kendall exclaimed. "Her character goes to this party, right? She's, like, one one of those geeks. She's dragged into a blinded-folded game of spin the bottle. Then-"

"I think that's all you can pretty much say," I cut him off, "you'll give away a lot."

"Can we go watch it?" Carlos asked excitedly.

"I guess," I shrugged.

"I'm gonna be your date for the premiere though, right?" Kendall batted his eyelashes at me.

"I guess," I repeated, kicking his foot slightly. A game of footsies ensued.

* * *

"We'll catch up with you guys later!" Kendall called out to everyone.

He was greeted with shouts of "Okay!", "Later!", "G'night!", "'Bye!", and "See ya in a few,".

"Where are we going exactly?" I giggled.

"Just takin' a stroll through the Palm Woods park," he replied handing me a blueberry smoothie. "Better late than never."

After dinner, we cruised through Hollywood 'til about 10-ish. While everyone else turned in, we decided to stay out later. He bought us our usual for dessert: his-and-her smoothies.

"Are you coming to the practice thing tomorrow?" I asked hin shyly.

"Wouldn't miss it. You're a great actress you know."

"Gee, thanks," I said sarcastically.

"You'll make it to the big time, and then you'll think about me, and how I told you so," he smirked.

"So will you and your boys. I can see it now. Big Time Rush living in five houses, performing in sold out arenas, making girls go crazy and marrying Nicole Scherzinger…well not really."

"Ha! James said the same before we came here! This is gonna an awesome experience."

A slight breeze made me shiver. He immediately took off his leather jacket and placed it on my shoulders. "Better?" he whispered.

I nodded. "Thanks."

"You ready to go?"

"Not really. Can't we stay and count the stars for awhile?" I whined.

He smiled. "You know that's physically impossible right?"

"Yeah, it's still fun though. Once you start making out shapes, counting gets boring."

"Fine, but we don't have blankets."

"Don't be a baby," I teased, "What's wrong with lying on our backs?" I lied down and he followed my lead.

"Good point. Ready to count?"

"Ready." I counted to maybe forty before I got bored. Okay, I lost count, don't judge me!

"I think I'm ready to go," I yawned.

"Me too." He stood up, helped me up, and we walked back.

Once in the elevator, he wrapped his arms around me. I literally almost fell asleep on his shoulder.

He nudged me lightly. "C'mon Sleeping Beauty, stay up."

"No." I nuzzled in deeper. The bell dinged signaling we were on our floor. My eyes shot open.

He walked me to my apartment. "I had fun tonight," I started.

"Me too. We should do it more often. Minus the fighting."

"Yeah, we tend to do that a lot. But what can we do? It's part of our friendship."

"Yeah, well, see you tomorrow?"

I giggled as my back hit the door. "Yeah. But you don't have to come 'til noon-ish. G'night." I gave him a hug.

He returned it gladly. Then, before I could question his next movement, he gave me a quick feather light kiss. "See you tomorrow then." He winked, and slid into his apartment.

I stayed frozen in place. What…just…happened?

* * *

**HELLO! Didn't expect that didja? I did! XD How 'bout an upload? Me neither! I might've lied. You love me though! XD And guess what? The drama begins in the next chapter! DUN DUN DUN! Also, if you have not checked out my newest fic, _Stay Away from Me_, do it! It stars my love Max Schneider! :D I need feedback! Oh, um I'veAlsoDecidedToDoOneShots! _*Runs away*...*comes back*_ Yeah, so if you'd like one, no strings attached, PM me! Just tell me your favorite guy! Have a Palm Woods day and wish my baby Max Schneider a happy birthday tomorrow! & tell him I told you to do it! X'D XX -Byanka Schneider X'D (not really! I feel like I'm hyper but I'm not! )**


	9. Chapter 9

_So, the craziest thing happened tonight…KENDALL KISSED ME! It was the craziest and weirdest thing ever. I mean, it was cute too. I literally feel speechless. It's like my brain is everywhere! We were walking around, drinking our smoothies and just doing whatever it is we do. Then he took me home and well, he kissed me. It was like, wow. It was definitely nothing like our first kiss. This one was just a peck._

I stood up from my desk and stretched. After brushing my teeth, washing my face and saying good night to Faith, I snuggled under the covers, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

My mind kept drifting to my best friend, however. It wasn't our first kiss, to be honest, but our second. The first time was at Wonky Donkey. We were ten and it was an experiment.

[Flashback]

"How was that not further than yours?" Kendall whined.

"Because it wasn't," I replied impatiently. "Look at the ripples. Mine was clearly that one."

He looked so cute. The way his eyes were glimmering with confusion, the way his lips were formed into a pout, and everything.

"Skipping stones is stupid. Let's do something else."

"Like what?"

"Anything!" He pushed me into the water.

"KENDALL!" I yelled. "The water's freezing." I smiled evilly. "I think I need a hug to keep warm."

"No Amber. Stay away from me. Stay- eeeeeeeee!" He yelped as I grabbed him into a huge hug. At least I was able to make him forget whatever was bugging him.

* * *

I sniffled from the cold a few hours later. Today was one of the 'coldest' days of the summer. It was breezy, if not, just a bit cold.

"You okay?" He asked.

I nodded. "Y-Yeah," I chattered out, "j-j-just cold. "H-how are y-y-you n-not?"

"I'ma hockey player," he said in a duh tone. "I'm used to it." He wrapped his skinny little arms around me. "Better?"

"K-Kinda." Okay, I loved the feeling of him next to me. I rested my head on his shoulder as we watched the sun slowly set. It felt…right.

Yeah, I'm 10 and I change my mind every while, but there was something about this boy that nobody else had. He was genuine.

"James was bragging about another girl he kissed today," he admitted quietly.

"Was that what was bugging you?" I whispered just as quietly.

He nodded. "That's the fifth one already. I'm getting sick of it."

"Just wait until he gets older. He'll be eeally pretty…Are you sure you're not jealous though?"

Pfft, if I was jealous I think I would've made it an unannounced competition."

I almost growled at his statement. Yes, I was jealous, but whatever. "I'ma be honest because you're my best friend."

He raised his eyebrow. "What?"

I felt myself blushing as I told him. "I-I wouldn't mind stealing a kiss from him."

His eyes widened. "Why would you do that? I thought you didn't like him or anybody."

"I don't," I protested. "But I'm just curious. I mean, look at him! You can't blame me for that!"

"Would you settle for me?" He blurted out.

"Come again?" I wasn't sure I heard right. He didn't want me to kiss him. Did he?

"Would you kiss me, for experimental purposes, that is?"

? He did not just ask me that. Should I or should I not? If I did, he might figure out I was crushing on him. But if I didn't, I'd risk getting him mad.

I played it cool. "Sure, I guess." On the inside, I was squealing and melting.

He smiled his dimpled smile before weaving our hands together. He leaned in first, but pulled away.

I frowned. "What is it?"

"Nothing. It's just that it doesn't feel right yet." He glanced at the sun as the horizen touched the water. "Perfect," he whispered to himself and shyly pressing his lips to mine. And there I was, kissing the one boy I treasured more than anything under the setting sun

[End Flashback]

I had a peaceful night's sleep despite what happened the night before. Except that I fell off the bed. Awesome, right?

Faith was lying stomach down on the couch, reading a magazine. She was all nice and comfy in her pajamas as she skimmed through the pictures.

We chatted for a bit before turning in for the night.

Now, the sunlight was streaming through my curtains, causing me to wake up. I checked the time. 9:30.

Once I had climbed back on my bed, I checked my phone. I had a text message from the director saying to come tomorrow, and one from Layla saying the same thing. I smiled and immediately texted Kendall.

_*They will not need me today. :) Have plans?*_

_*Don't have to be at the studio 'til noon. Come with?*_

_*I won't be bugging, will I?*_

_*Of course not! Swing by 11. We'll be at the pool. See you soon. ;)*_

I giggled before the phone went ninja on me and struck me in the face.

* * *

It was as though they didn't realize I was here with Faith. Instead, they looked like they were in La-La land.

"For the fifth time, would someone care to tell me why Carlos is in the pool, and why you look like you've just seen a hot girl pass by?" I asked, exasperated by their lack of notice in Faith and me.

"She will be mine!" James yelled suddenly before accidently knocking me into the pool and running indoors.

"She's mine!" Three other voices echoed before pursuing him just as frantically.

"What the hell happened?" I sputtered angrily once Faith fished me out of the pool.

"How should I know?" She shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe they were just having an off day."

"Hmm, sure it was. Let's just go inside. They've got some explaining to do once I see them again."

We were walking towards the elevator when we, well I, ran into someone. Her scripts went flying, and I landed on the floor with a thud.

"Oh, god. I'm so sorry," the voice apologized.

"No, no. It's fine. I should've looked where I was going."

She offered her hand which I politely took. I dusted myself off and inspected the girl.

She was around our age, about 16. She had curly-ish blond hair which was pulled back into a normal ponytail. She extended her hand. "I'm Jo."

"Hi, I'm Amber and this is Faith. Are you new here?"

"Just flew in from North Carolina."

"Well, welcome to the Palm Woods," Faith chirped. "What're you here for?"

"I wanna be a singer and an actress."

"Well what-a coinky-dink! I'm a singer, and Amber here's an actress. Anything special you're doing?"

"Ah, I forget what it's called but I'm pretty sure it's *The Magic Middle School*. Anyways, it was nice meeting you. I have to unpack all my junk. See you 'round." She waved.

I got a text from Kendall. _*Rain check for the studio? I got plans.*_

_*Whatever.*_

* * *

"Hey, so how the rest of your day here at the magnificant Palm Woods?" I asked Jo dramitically a few hours later. After Faith and I helped her settle in, we were back and forth at the hotel. Camille had met her too, so we just sorta hung out, and now we were chillin' in her apartment.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, it was fine," she chuckled in disbelief, "It's just that the craziest things have been happening."

"Which are?" I asked curiously.

"Well, earlier today, while I was in the lobby, I was approached by a boy."

"How'd he look?"

"Well the first one spoke in an English accent, but he honestly looked more like a Latin boy. He also had a mole on his chin."

"That would be Carlos," I smirked.

"Really? He told me his name was Reginald Sals-something from England."

"Actually, that's Carlos Garcia. Born and raised in Minnesota."

"Oh, well…then there was this guy in a goofy sweater vest, but he didn't really say anything."

"Logan," the rest of us said in unison.

"Then, there was a guy with blond hair. Green eyes…" She sighed dreamily.

I felt my teeth clamp down, causing me to bite my tongue. Jeez! Was today not my day or something?

"What was his name?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"I think his name was Kalvin or Kevin or something like that."

"Kendall?" Camille offered.

She snapped her fingers. "Exactly…Amber, you okay there?"

"Peachy…"

"And then James came by while we were by the pool. He looked weird. Splotchy face, swollen hands." Camille shuddered.

So, that's why the guys looked like that earlier. They were fighting for attention. I glanced at Faith. Her face was expressionless, but she had pretty much the same thoughts I was having.

"I think someone's interested in you," Camille teased.

"But I'm not. They all might be cute, but my job's more important."

"So tell them you're not interested," I shrugged.

"But wouldn't that be rude?"

"Okay, then tell them you have a boyfriend."

"But-"

"Wait, do you have a boyfriend?" Camille asked.

"No, but-"

"But what? It's foolproof."

"Just then, we heard strumming and then melodious voices…

* * *

**I apologize that this is a short & very crappy chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it. Have a Palm Woods day. XX -Byanka :)**


	10. Chapter 10

_"'How are you gonna find one guy out of this entire school?"'_ He asked tossing the football upwards and catching it.

_"'I don't know Eric. The best idea I have now is a kissing booth for the carnival coming up.'"_

_"'Sammy, even I know that's a horrible idea."'_ He snorted.

_"'Do you have any better ideas?'"_ I retorted.

"And cut!" The director yelled out. "Great take everybody. That's a wrap for tonight. Same time tomorrow. Amber, Dak, remember to brush your teeth thoroughly, and bring some gum. We'll be filming a lot of kissing scenes tomorrow."

"I felt myself blushing. No matter how sweet Tom could be, he was still really embarrassing.

Twelve hours shooting and reshooting scenes was exhausting. Even worse was that we've been here since six. I loved every second of it. Unfortunately, we were almost done filming.

I skipped to the snack table and grabbed a water bottle. I felt someone nudge me.

I turned around and smiled at my co-star Dak Zevon. He was really amazing. He's balancing this film along with a vampire one. "Hey, awesome job," I complimented him. I whipped out my car keys and phone from my purse on the chair where my name was engraved. (Eep! How cool was that?) I glanced at my phone. Missed calls, voice mail, and text messages. Does he not know when to take a hint?

"Thanks, you too." He scratched the back of his head nervously. "Um, so Amber, I was thinking if maybe you'd like to go out to dinner with me or something?" He asked as we exited the building.

Oh boy, here we go. I sighed. "Dak, as much as I'd love to, I'm afraid I have to say no." His face fell a bit, so I rushed to explain as I hopped in my car and started it.

"It's not because I don't like, because I do, I really do."

He gave me a knowing smile. "Ahh, I get it. You're one of those 'I-don't-date-my-costar' actresses, right?"

"Something like that…but I'm not saying no. Consider it a rain check."

"It's okay, I understand. How 'bout ice cream with the cast?"

"Rain check for that too." I smiled. "See ya tomorrow," I called as he walked off.

Now for the messages and stuff. He might be my best friend but that doesn't mean I don't 'punish' him like I 'punish' Faith. I unlocked my phone.

Lordy! Thirty-seven missed calls, twenty-eight voice mails, and fifty-five text messages. Damn! I was just giving him the silent treatment, not exiling him.

It wasn't because he liked Jo if that's what you're thinking. The girl's a total sweetheart even though I've known her for about a month already. I was ignoring him because he completely ignored me while we were doing the 'formal' introductions. Not to mention he disregarded our kiss the day too.

* * *

[Flashback]

"Okay guys, Jo is coming in a few minutes," I stated to the four idiots who were casually lounging in my apartment after they got back from the studio and practically murdered tgemselves fighting over *another* new girl.

"Chill Mom. We'll be on our best behavior. We promise," James smirked.

"No," I warned, "not just on your best behavior. You better be perfect angels. I don't care if all of you were in love with her a few hours ago. Be good, or else. Am I clear?"

"Yes Mom," they chorused. I'll admit, it was funny when they called me 'Mom', but usually it was down right annoying.

"What if we don't behave?" Kendall threatened jokingly.

"I'll tell Layla to move me out of the Palm Woods." The smirk dissolved off his face and crept onto mine.

* * *

"Jo, lemme introduce you to these jokers, the right way," I said blatantly. "The one with the goofy sweater vest is Logan. He's, like, the only normal one, but extremely dorky." He looked slightly hurt but still smiled. "The one with the helmet is Carlos. He is neither a bad boy nor English, but he is very lovable." He patted his helmet. "James is the one who's staring at his reflection in the mirror. He does have an allergic reaction to the Beracuda spray, but he is naturally flirty." I shot him a glare. He smiled shamelessly, but put it away. "And the blond who's sitting next me is Kendall, the one who was actually being himself." I patted his lap. He flashed her a smile and wiggled his eyebrows.

We were now gathered in the living room and doing the introductions. It was awkward for a few minutes before we got to know about her. And by we, I meant the guys.

James was more or less flirting with her despite the fact that she had a "boyfriend." Carlos was being overly-friendly in the non-flirty way by trying to make her feel at home. Logan was just overall avoiding her, since he was paying more attention to Camille…Lucky!

And Kendall, well, he couldn't stop drooling over her. Grr! I couldn't wait for her to leave.

"What the hell was that?" I yelled at him an hour later. I knew being in my room wasn't soundproof, but it was better than anybody seeing our reactions. Neither of them were pretty.

It hurt how every time I tried to speak to him, he completely ignored me. Not to mention the dirty looks he shot me every time Jo pointed out to him I was talking to him.

One worse than that was that Jo didn't seem to remember his name.

"What was what?" he asked sounding confused.

"You flirting with Jo every two seconds. You know she has a boyfriend." I smacked his chest.

"I wasn't flirting with her…I was just being friendly."

"Kendall, I- never mind."

"You, you what?" he challenged.

"I just freakin' hate you sometimes."

"How do you think I feel, huh? You're so damn clingy, I swear."

"Me? Clingy?" I huffed. "Boy, I hope you're joking about that."

"I'm not joking. Did you see the way you were acting?"

"No, did you see how you were acting? You were all up on her. You know she has a boyfriend."

"What's your point?' he asked cockily. Je crossed his arms.

"Would you like a guy to be flirting with me if I had a boyfriend?"

He snorted. "That's different."

"Explain it to me."

"Simple. If a guy was dating you in the first place, he wouldn't be alive."

I stamped my foot. "Why the hell not?"

"Did you come to LA to make it to the big time, or become a whore by dating every guy you see?"

I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped to the floor. That hurt, but I try not to let it show. "So, I'm a whore now? If I was a whore, would I take better care of your friends than you?"

"No, but a whore would look eager to bang every guy she sees. Do you not remember the guy at the restaurant?"

"I still must've looked good enough for you to have kissed me when you left."

He was at a loss for words. It was easy to see. He would open his mouth, then close it again.

"That's what I thought," I smirked smugly.

"The kiss meant nothing to me, if that's what you're implying. It was just an experiment, like when we were 10. And just like when we were 10, you didn't protest."

"Get out," I whispered. I was livid right now, and the last thing I needed was to hurt him. "Don't even talk to me ever again."

"Good," he scoffed, "I don't need you. The guys always have my back. I've got them. You could just fly yo New York tomorrow morning and stay for a month and I…wouldn't…miss…you." He tapped my nose. "Not even an eensy-weensy little bit."

Okay, that was it. I slapped him with all my force. "Get out now! And for your information, I will be leaving for New York tomorrow. And don't worry about me not being in contact with you. You're dead to me. Out."

* * *

In truth, I did miss him. A lot. But he said those words, not me. I'm just proving to him that- That what?

That he was lost without me? Please. He was the unofficial leader of his friends.

That the should watch what he says to me? More probable. If we weren't fighting, he would've said something differently.

That he needed me more than I needed him? I went six years without him. He was the one who chose not to stay in contact with me.

Now, let's just see how far he'll go.

* * *

"Amber!" Faith squealed at the airport three days later.

"Faith!" I squealed back. I threw my luggages on the floor and threw my arms around her. Being the best friends we were, we hugged the life out of each other.

"How was filming?" She asked grabbing one of my bags and leading me out of the airport.

"It was amazing!" I gushed. "The cast and crew were really sweet. It felt like I've known them forever! The only downer was the fact that we woke up early every single day. How was your vacation away from me?" I joked.

"Same old, same old. Only more liberating and less food. I had dinner with Mama Knight and the boys every ñight. It was awesome! Didja hear about Logan and Camille?"

"No," I answered slowly.

"'Let's just say that they're almost dating."

I cocked an eyebrow. "And how close is 'almost' exactly."

Her face fell a tiny bit. "We need a few misfortunes."

"Ahh, and how's it going with you and James?"

She moaned in response. "Not good. He's still hung up on that one chick. I don't like it Amber. Not one bit."

"Instead of playing him, just be honest with him. You'll get further in your 'relationship' that way."

"Now where's the fun in that? But onto more important matters…Wass goin' on between you and Kendall?"

Crap! "Y'know, I'm still not talking to him."

"I can see that. Why? Is it because of your last fight?"

"Faith, even you know why I had to do it."

"No duh!" She rolled her eyes like it was the most obvious thing ever. "The whole Palm Woods heard every word. Jeez girl, I'd be mad if you forgave him so easily."

"I know. That's why I still haven't forgiven him."

"You're lying. I know you already did. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if you forgave him the second you woke up before you left for NY…and you did, didn't you?" She glanced at me knowingly. We stopped short, waiting for her ride to come, since she didn't know how to drive yet.

I grinned sheepishly. "Yes," I admitted. She was one hundred thousand percent correct.

The limo driver pulled up just then.

* * *

"WELCOME HOME AMBER!" The voices of my friends from the Palm Woods greeted me. I was showered with hugs and kisses as I put my bags down on the floor.

Camille and Jo hugged me like I was a relative they hadn't seen in years. Camille was no surprise since I've known her for awile. Jo did, however. I didn't know she liked me, but I guess it was because Kendall liked her.

The Jennifers gave me a smile and a slight wave. Tyler seemed happy being away from his mom for awhile at least. Guitar Dude was content playing the guitar.

Katie and Mama Knight were kind enough to bake me a cake. The boys, which I assumed was them, went all out and turned my cozy apartnent into a dance floor. How did I know? The party was hockey themed. (Did I mention that there were presents too?)

No surprise, the only one missing was Kendall. Good. It was better for me anyways. That way, we didn't end up killing each other and ruining the welcome back party.

"You guys! You shouldn't have! Is it my birthday already?" I joked once James finished hugging the life outta me.

"Maybe," they teased. "C'mon!" Carlos added, "Let's eat! I'm starving!"


	11. Author's Note Please read!

**Alright guys, I hate to be the bearer of bad news here, but here it is: I am putting all my stories on hold. It is not because I've gotten tired of writing (because I haven't!), but because I have to take school seriously this year.**

**In case you don't know, or if you care to know, I am a senior. (Class of 2013 baby! x)) I am behind a gazillion credits, but I can still graduate w/my class if I don't mess up. I can't afford to fall behind, especially because I'd like to go to college. [Haley, Erin, I'm thinkin' Wisconsin! x)]**

**That, & because my phone has messed up too, & my parents refuse to buy me a new one until Christmas. This is where I type all my stories & upload them as well, so yeah.**

**The good news is that I will be hand writing out chapter by chapter of every story, so expect mega crazy uploads when I can get the chance to upload. & if I can, I will ask my two awesome friends & sisters, Erin & Haley to see if they'd mind uploading for me. (Ladies, do you mind? x)) But if they can't, oh well. Oh! Before I forget, I can guarantee that I will also have new stories up, _AND_ (I feel as though I can't stress this enough!) _Life as Miranda _will be coming back & _Falling for a Rusher _will be starting when I can officially get back on! (It's a One Direction story, & I hope you can give it a chance.)**

**I feel terrible for doing this to you, but I have to. At least there's a bright side to this. Right? :) If you don't think there is, at least this ain't a permanent thing. x)**

**Warning: Uploads will be rare, but I will try to make them as long as possible to make up for this. **

**I sincerely apologize for all this but time will fly by before y'know it. Thanks for your understanding!**

**Have a Palm Woods day everyone! :) XX -Byanka**


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